Rita Green carried a plastic bin of items as she helped a family friend salvage things from a home Thursday in Moore, Okla.
As the residents of Moore, Okla., and surrounding communities continue to recover from Monday's devastating tornado that killed at least 24 people and injured more than 375, we're keeping an eye on the news from there:
Suzette Grillot reports from Istanbul, where she speaks with University of Oklahoma economist Firat Demir about the international response to Monday's deadly tornado in Moore, Okla., and political problems facing Turkey.
Turkish protesters chant slogans during a demonstration against the government of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Beyazit Square in Istanbul, on March 18, 2012
Listen to Suzette Grillot's conversation with Firat Demir.
After decades of fighting, the conflict between the Kurdish nationalist group the PKK and the Turkish government finally drew to a close with a ceasefire in March.
Peace in Turkey may be short-lived, though. Violence in neighboring Syria is steadily intensifying, forcing a reluctant Turkey to respond and possibly putting citizens at risk.
“Most people among the Kurdish population are very optimistic,” says Firat Demir, a University of Oklahoma economist. “The last thing now that a citizen of Turkey wants is to have another civil conflict after this 80-year-old bloody conflict that is ending.”
Interviews with Linda Day, Donna Butler, Gov. George Blanchard & Dr. Lois Pokwarney
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe’s Little Axe Resource Center is surrounded by greenery and gently rolling hills making it a beautiful backdrop for what has become a place to get help and some of the necessities of life for the surrounding residents.
Stella and Jack Howard (left and right) with their daughter, Dawnelaina (center), sit with the remains of their Moore home. The Howards built this house after their last one was destroyed by the May 3, 1999, twister.
Listen to Suzette Grillot's conversation with Firat Demir about Turkey's reaction to the May 20 Moore tornado.
From Italy to Istanbul, the tragedy in Moore isn’t far from many people's minds or the front pages of international newspapers.
"We have received an amazing outpouring here from the mayor to regular citizens stopping by to see how they can help," says Rebecca Cruise, who's visiting the University of Oklahoma's center in Arezzo, Italy. "The emails from faculty with students abroad also show how much the world is paying attention to this story."
Darius Joseph, 15, moved with his mom from New Orleans to Moore, Okla. after his home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Last year, Joseph ran away from home and moved in with the family of his best friend Brandon Dick.
Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., killed 24 people and caused an estimated $2.2 billion worth of damage. As the community reflects on what happened, one question is: How did so many manage to survive such devastating destruction?
Lifelong Oklahoman Kristi Freeman has seen her share of tornadoes, but she says the twister that tore through her neighborhood Monday was something else.
"This tornado was like a monster. It was like something that was alive. It destroyed your peace, your comfort," she says.
As residents in Oklahoma pick up the pieces of their lives, there are many agencies and organizations providing disaster relief. KGOU has compiled a list of resources to aid in the recovery.
Update 845pm, May 23, 2013
OKStrong reports that Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, should contact the local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from home or cellular telephones. Only call 911 for emergencies.
Students and teachers from Eastlake Elementary and Plaza Towers Elementary schools gathered Thursday to say goodbye for the summer. This was a chance to reconnect after the devastating tornado brought an abrupt end to the school year at Plaza Towers in Moore, Okla.
Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
David Huffman leaves Eastlake Elementary with his children Moira, 8, and Wendy, 5. Moira attends Eastlake, and Wendy will start kindergarten there next year.
Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Sixth-grader Mckayla Franks leaves Eastlake Elementary with her mother, Summer Franks.
Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Students and teachers from the Eastlake and Plaza Towers Elementary schools gathered at Eastlake on Thursday to say goodbye for the summer. It was a chance to reconnect after a devastating tornado brought an abrupt end to the school year at Plaza Towers, in Moore, Okla.
Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Amber Hill leaves Eastlake with her son Jaren May. Jaren was in the autism program at Plaza Towers and went through the tornado with his teacher and fellow students. Jaren came out Thursday carrying a balloon, a goody bag and a brand-new backpack to replace the one he lost in Monday's tornado.
Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Cary Smith had picked up his son Jordan, 13, and daughter Tia, 5, from school on Monday, right before the tornado came through Moore. He and the family live close to Plaza Elementary, and he ran to the school to help pull a teacher and three kids from the rubble in the aftermath of the tornado.
Under cloudy skies and through intermittent showers, 4-year-old Kamrin Ramirez holds in her little hands two cards, one addressed to Ms. Patterson, the other for Ms. Johnson, her two preschool teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.
An aerial photo shows destroyed houses in Moore, Okla., after Monday's tornado. Rena and Paul Phillips, who lost their home in the storm, also lost a house to a tornado in 1999.
The tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., Monday destroyed some 12,000 homes, according to Oklahoma City Police. And for one family, it was the second house they've lost to a tornado in the past 14 years. Rena and Paul Phillips say that the recent loss won't make them move.
The Phillipses told their story to Rachel Hubbard of Oklahoma member station KOSU, who reports on how they're coping with the loss — and the search for belongings in the rubble of their home — for Thursday's All Things Considered.
